


The Icarus

by Puddventures



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: SW Edge of the Empire, Star Wars RPGs, the Icarus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 23:31:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10864404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puddventures/pseuds/Puddventures
Summary: A collection of vignettes that follows the crew of the Icarus, a YV-929 gunship turned research vessel.





	The Icarus

“Whatcha workin’ on there, darlin’?” Missy wipes her greased hands off on a rag, then tucks it into one of the pockets on her jumpsuit. Killee has the pieces of a S.W.A.R.M unit strewn over one of the garage workbenches.  
“His name will be Lethe,” Killee says happily, wiping sweat from her forehead and pushing up her glasses. “It’s a probe droid.” she clarifies, realizing what the nautolan meant.  
“They been working for you ok?”  
“Initial trials have been well within operational parameters. However, I won’t know fully until we get our first official field test.  
“You know, I’ve got a few spare Carver screwdrivers around here somewhere. They might help you with the smaller parts,”  
“That would be wonderful! Thank you! It seems my toolkit went missing on board the Icarus. I think Phrii might have borrowed it when the engine had smoking troubles.”

Missy chuckles “Well, I didn’t see anything in the engine room. Just a moment,” The mechanic disappears behind the hull of the Icarus, then re-emerges with a utility belt holding an assortment of screwdrivers “There you are. Would you like something to drink, by the by? I was gonna pour myself a night cap.”  
“Um... sure. I don’t drink often... I think Captain Aurrel does enough of that for the three of us.”  
Missy’s expression shifts to concern briefly. She grabs two glasses and a decanter, then pours two fingers in each. “‘Fraid he’s been that way since he stopped serving with the Rebels,” she hands Killee a glass “I can always… say something to him. If he’s getting up to antics. To make things smoother for ya’ll,”

Rebel? This is news to Killee. “Uhm, no it was a pretty smooth from Alderaan.” she says, setting down the glass and reaching for a screwdriver. “Other than the asteroid field and the fire.” She’s back to digging around inside Lethe. Missy shakes her head and sips at her whiskey with a wry smile.

After a moment a there’s a small whir-click, as the core’s eye-socket glows an aqua-blue.  
[¿ǝɔᴉoʌ ʎɯ ʇɐɥʇ sᴉ ʇᴉɐM ¡ollǝH ˙ǝʞᴉl slǝǝɟ ʎpoq ɐ ʇɐɥʍ sᴉ sᴉɥʇ os ʍoM]  
“Oh... Frotz!” the scientist fiddles with a few more controls, and the droid shuts down with a resonding bwamp. “This von goes here, und that von goes there und…”  
[Woah, hey! This is much better!] The core says, trying to hover off the table.  
“Hey hey! Wait till I get your panel on.”  
[Oh yeah, sorry.] The core settles it’s one eye on the nautolan. [Hello miss! I am S.W.A.R.M. Model 3, designation Lethe.]  
“Well hello there little guy! I’m Missy. Pleased to meet you,”  
[That is a lovely name. This body thing is all so very exciting!  
I have so many sensors now!]

Missy laughs merrily at Lethe tests it's systems. “Careful now, too many inputs at once can be a bit overwhelming. Try shutting off non-vitals for now, then open them back up one at a time. S’what I did for Joker when we modded her sensory arrays for you,”  
“He will become accustomed once some of the others wake up from their cycles und sync… There, panel is on. Why don’t you go rest on the racks until you are finished powering up, dear?” The core hovers sleepily off towards the rack. “Unfortunately, my simulations are never quite as stimulating for them as what may float out there.” They watch Lethe settle into an empty spot and shut down “So... do you have any passion projects?” Killee asks returning to her drink.  
“Mostly just the Ic, to be honest. I’ve put the most work into Joker and the hyperdrive. I was nice to work on her some more, and not just on repairs--”  
“Missy!!”

The modulated cry comes from the street in front of the hangar. Missy takes a look at the chrono on her wrist. “Right on time too,” she sighs to herself, and sets her drink down. “Excuse me a moment, darlin’, it seems I need to fetch my wayward husband.”  
“Oh! Yes, um…” Killee sits and sips her drink awkwardly. She'd only met Rors Tozi once before, and had found him impolite and ill-mannered. In all honesty, she was confused by why the two of them were married at all. He was the absolute antithesis of her.

“Quit shoving me, woman!”  
“Rors I swear to God if you set me back on dents in that hull, I’ll flay you alive,”  
“But it’s a-ok if Jax does it, huh?”  
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”  
“I know you’re s-- still in love with him!”  
“Shut up Rors, you’re drunk.”  
Missy rounds the corner supporting the stumbling Kel Dor. He still has a flask in his hand, and his shirt is haphazardly buttoned. The mechanic gives Killee an apologetic look as he trips over his own feet. Moments later, Rors doubles over, opens a valve, and vomits the entire contents of his stomach onto the ground. “No, not my--!! the garage Rors?! Really?!”  
“I feel much better,” he slurs, giving Killee a wink and a salute.  
“I’m sure you kriffin’ do,” the nautolan mutters, and guides him through a back door and out of sight.  
She grabs a bucket and mop and returns to the mess. “I’m so sorry, I hope he didn’t… eugh,” she stops short of the pile of sick and stares at it a moment before cleaning it up.

“No, uhm... it’s fine. Is he okay?” Killee asks, legitimately concerned.  
“He’ll be just fine in the morning, iffin’ a bit sore” The bitterness in Missy’s voice is poorly disguised.  
“Are… are you okay?”  
There’s a long silence before Missy stops to rest her chin on the handle of the mop and look at Killee. “I’m… I’ll be fine. Eventually.”  
“Do you… do you wish to talk about it?” She asks, nervously rubbing her thumb around the now empty glass, wiping away condensation.

Missy sighs heavily and finishes her task. “There isn’t much to talk about. Rors is a layabout and a mooch, and I was unlucky enough to find out about a cycle and a half after we got married,” She washes her hands after handing the bucket and mop to one of her T0D0360 units, then sits back down. Missy drains the rest of her whiskey before turning the glass upside down with finality. “You’d think between the two of them, Jax and Rors’d have figured out too much of this stuff only spells trouble,”  
“Well you can’t help the ones you love.” Killee says with a warm smile.  
“No, I suppose not,” Missy stairs at the patch of ground between her feet.

“er… so... you were telling me that you programmed Joker? She’s a quality copilot.” Killee says smiling, trying to change the subject.  
“Ah, yes! Mostly just fiddled with the base AI. I’m no slicer, and I think I damaged a few lines of her personality code in the process… but she balances Jax’s recklessness out I think,”  
“I could have a look if you like, though considering their haven’t been any degenerative errors that I can see, she should be fine.”  
“It’s worth a shot. In my experience, leaving things alone tends to go pear shaped when it's least convenient,”  
“Tomorrow, I'll take a look.”

Missy nods, then leans back in her chair and looks up at the stars through the transparisteel ceiling. A cool breeze rolls through the garage, and the soft whoosh of the wind turbines outside can be heard. Night insects chirp in the distance, and there’s a faint plink plink plink as a droid works repairs for speeder part in a corner of the hangar.

After a long silence, Missy rubs her hands on her knees. “Well… I suppose I should try to get to bed. You ought to as well, young lady.” She whistles and all three T0DOs emerge and float their way towards the nautolan. She gives Killee a warm smile. “Goodnight, darlin’.”  
“Goodnight.” Killee rises from her chair and stretches, returning the smile before Missy disappears behind the door to her home.

The twi’lek thinks a moment, then heads for her rack of S.W.A.R.M droids. Humming to herself, she spends a moment checking a few diagnostics before one of the drones awakens with a sleepy whirr.  
[He misses her, ya know?] Tyche drawls robotically.  
“What’s that dear?” Killee takes a knee to level with the maroon optical array.  
[Jax. Captain Aurrel. He misses her. You can tell by the way he sings ‘bout her. Mentions her in almost every song he plays.]The core twists on her rack space as if it shivered. [He hides me in his quarters sometimes because she sounds like me. He tells really nice stories about how when they flew around together.]  
Killee looks over her shoulder to make sure no one is around before sitting down, cross-legged on the floor of the hangar. “Is that so? Can you tell me more about it?”


End file.
